Next stop: Manchester

UMass Lowell to play Cornell in NCAA Tournament

Goalie Tyler Wall, left, is mobbed by Michael Kapla and Tyler Mueller (7) as Joe Gambardella joins the fun after UMass Lowell won the Hockey East title Saturday night over Boston College. SENTINEL&ENTERPRISE / JULIA MALAKIE

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LOWELL -- A cheer erupted from the 300 or so people gathered at the Tavern in the Square on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

College hockey

The noise wasn't as loud as the one generated less than 14 hours before when UMass Lowell captured its third Hockey East championship in five years with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Boston College at the TD Garden.

But the celebration was still considerable.

The River Hawks learned they will face Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Faced with the prospect of possibly being shipped to Fargo, N.D., or Cincinnati, the River Hawks were rewarded for winning 11 of their last 12 games when they earned the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Regional.

UMass Lowell's Joe Gambardella, left, celebrates his second-period goal with Dylan Zink. The goal gave UML a 4-2 lead and the River Hawks went on to beat BC for the Hockey East title Saturday. SENTINEL&ENTERPRISE / JULIA MALAKIE

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Even better, the UML-Cornell battle will be at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., just a couple of Joe Gambardella slap shots up Route 3.

"We're excited to be in Manchester; it's close by so we can hope our fans can join us," said UML head coach Norm Bazin. "We don't know much about Cornell, but we do know they're a quality team. They are one of 16 still playing hockey."

UMass Lowell (26-10-3) will face third-seeded Cornell (21-8-5) at noon. The second game will pit region top seed Minnesota (23-11-3) vs. fourth-seeded Notre Dame (21-11-5). The winners will meet Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday's game will be shown on ESPN3 and the regional final will be televised Sunday on ESPNU.

"It's so awesome to see the fans here," said Gambardella, a senior forward.

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"We consider them our family as well. It really hits you in the heart, knowing you have that kind of fan support. It's like a having sixth player on the ice for us."

This is UMass Lowell's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in Bazin's six seasons as the helm. The River Hawks under Bazin have won their first game in each of the previous four NCAA appearances.

No UMass Lowell player has ever skated against Cornell, which fell in the ECAC title game to Harvard.

"I don't know much about them. I just know they made it to the final of their league. All 16 teams in the tournament are good teams," senior captain Michael Kapla said.

"We'll do our homework on them during the week. Our coaches do an amazing job of getting intel on other teams," Gambardella said.

The River Hawks were still buzzing from a weekend which saw them defeat Notre Dame, 5-1, and then nip BC in a final before 12,000 fans in Boston on Saturday.

"When you look up and see a sea of blue, it's unreal," said Kapla, raving about the team's fan support in Boston.

Also making the 16-team field were Hockey East members Boston University and Providence.

BU will face North Dakota on Friday in Fargo, N.D., while Providence will battle Harvard on Friday. It will basically be a home game for the Friars because Providence is hosting the East Regional at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Loose pucks: UMass Lowell has only played two games in Manchester, in 2013, when the program reached its lone Frozen Four. The River Hawks ripped Wisconsin, 6-1, and then defeated New Hampshire, 2-0, in the regional final. ... Bazin now has won 150 games at UMass Lowell. "I don't put too much thought into something like that. I didn't even realize that," he said. ... UML's senior class has 98 wins, tying Boston College's class for the most among Hockey East programs. Providence has 97.

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